5 Free Museums in Paris That Are Absolutely Beautiful

Musée Cernuschi

Inaugurated in 1898, this museum is named after its owner, Henri Cernuschi. An economist, banker, and collector, Cernuschi had this mansion built in the heart of the Parc Monceau to house his vast collection of nearly 5,000 works of art purchased during his travels in Japan and China. Since then, the museum has expanded to include both ancient and contemporary art; there are also many objects from Vietnam and Korea. Though the temporary exhibitions often charge admission, the permanent exhibition is free.

Atelier Brancusi

Many Parisians don’t even know about the Atelier Brancusi, despite it being near one of the city’s most famous museums, the Centre Pompidou (the studio also happens to be operated by the Pompidou). Completely free to the public, the space brings together works by the Romanian artist Constantin Brancusi, who lived in Paris from 1904 to 1957. There are 137 sculptures, 87 original pedestals, 41 drawings, two paintings, and more than 1,600 glass photographic plates and original prints. 

In 1956, the artist bequeathed everything in his studio, including his furniture and tools, to the French government, on the condition that it be reconstructed as it was at the time of his death. After a first partial reconstitution in 1962 inside the Musée National d’Art Moderne, it was moved to the Palais de Tokyo before settling in its current location in 1977. The current reconstruction is housed in a building from the same year by the architect Renzo Piano, which feels like a museum space with the studio inserted into it behind glass walls.